Microsoft reports increase in the number of vulnerabilities affecting Windows systems around the world

The latest edition of Microsoft’s Security Intelligence Report has found Brazil is the country most affected by malware, as the number of vulnerability disclosures rose 9.4 percent in the second half of last year.

The report analyses exploits, vulnerabilities, and malware by using data gathered from Internet services and more than 600 million computers worldwide as Microsoft continues to position itself as one of the best positioned companies to combat cyber threats.

Global Infections

The countries reporting the most malware infections in Q4 2015 was perhaps surprisingly Brazil (34.4 percent), followed by Russia (28.7 percent) and Italy (22.3 percent). The United States was further down the list (12.5 percent), along with the United Kingdom (13.9 percent).

The type of infections differs across geographies, and Microsoft interestingly provided a detailed chart that broke down the prevalence of malware types found worldwide. It is perhaps surprising to discover that browser modifiers (7.6 percent) and Trojans (7.1 percent) remain the most common forms of malware found globally.

The most commonly encountered threat in 2H15 was Win32/Gamarue, a worm typically distributed via exploit kits and social engineering. It was commonly encountered in South East Asia and the Middle East.